1. Field of the Invention
The invention broadly relates to a method for producing a liquid crystal panel. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for producing a liquid crystal panel in which a plurality of liquid crystal panels are produced by cutting a large-area liquid crystal panel having a plurality of liquid crystal sealing-in areas formed between a pair of large-area substrates.
2. Description of Related Art
In a known conventional method for producing a liquid crystal panel, a large-area liquid crystal panel is formed by forming a plurality of liquid crystal sealing-in areas in a plane between a pair of large-area substrates, and the large-area liquid crystal panel is cut into a plurality of liquid crystal panels. FIGS. 28 to 31 schematically illustrate the conventional method for producing a liquid crystal panel.
Referring to FIG. 28, for example, predetermined wirings, transparent electrodes, and active elements are formed on the inside faces of two transparent substrates 101 and 104, each of which is made of glass, followed by coating of orientation films. Then, seals 106 are printed on either one of the transparent substrates 101 and 104 to form liquid crystal sealing-in areas 117, followed by bonding of the transparent substrates 101 and 104 using the seals 106, as shown in FIG. 28, thereby forming a large-area empty panel 110 with the plurality of liquid crystal sealing-in areas 117 arranged in a plane. A liquid crystal injection opening 106a is formed in each liquid crystal sealing-in area 117 bordered by its associated seal 106.
Thereafter, cuts or grooves 108 are scribed in the surfaces of the transparent substrates 101 and 104. Two parallel scribed grooves 108 each are formed along the direction of arrangement of the liquid crystal injection openings 106a, of which one of each pair crosses the liquid crystal injection openings 106a. When pressure is applied to the vicinity of these scribed grooves 108 to cut the transparent substrates 101 and 104, the large-area empty panel 110 is cut into rectangular intermediate-area empty panels 10a, with the liquid crystal injection openings 106a and the connecting terminals 120a exposed to the outside, as shown in FIG. 29.
From the liquid crystal injection openings 106a, liquid crystal is injected into the intermediate-area empty panels 110a, after which the liquid crystal injection openings 106a are sealed. This forms intermediate-area liquid crystal panels with the liquid crystal layer sealed in the liquid crystal sealing-in areas 117. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 30, grooves 118 are scribed on each of the intermediate-area liquid crystal panels 110a. The scribed grooves 118 divide the intermediate-area liquid crystal panels 110a according to the individual liquid crystal sealing-in areas 11, and allow connecting terminals 120b formed on the inside surface of the transparent substrate 101 to be exposed to the outside so as to extend from the sides of the liquid crystal sealing-in areas 117. Applying pressure to the vicinity of these scribed grooves 118 to cut the intermediate-area liquid crystal panels 110a results in the production of individual liquid crystal panels 119, as shown in FIG. 31.
In the above-described conventional method for producing a liquid crystal panel, however, it is necessary to cut the large-area empty panel 110 (FIG. 28) into intermediate-area empty panels 110a (FIG. 29), and to further cut the intermediate-area liquid crystal panels 110a formed by filling the intermediate-area empty panels 110a with liquid crystal into the individual liquid crystal panels 119, so that it is necessary to prepare producing devices and panel jigs in correspondence with the large-area empty panel 110, the intermediate-area empty panels or the intermediate-area liquid crystal panels 110a, and producing devices, inspection devices, and panel jigs for the individual liquid crystal panels. This results in higher facility costs and more complicated steps.
Liquid crystal panels of different standards that are constructed with different dimensions may be formed in the large-area empty panel. In such a case, the intermediate-area empty panels and individual liquid crystal panels formed by dividing the large-area panel have different structures and dimensions, which results in more sophisticated step control and thus increased production costs.
In addition, since the large-area panel is completely cut during the production process, pieces of glass flies from the cut portions of the cut panel, so that, for example, the pieces of glass stick onto the surfaces of the connecting terminals 120a and 120b in the liquid crystal panels 119. This gives rise to the problem of poor connection when, for example, connecting integrated circuits and flexible substrates to the connecting terminals 120a and 120b.
In view of the above-described problems, an object of the invention is to provide a method for producing a liquid crystal panel, which allows a large-area empty panel to be successively processed, without cutting it completely during the liquid crystal panel producing process, thereby reducing production costs such as facility costs and control costs, and preventing the production of defective products due to flying pieces of glass.